It was two years ago today, a young man with a gun fired a bullet at the head of a congresswoman in tucson, arizona, killing six people around her. And today, in the wake of that massacre in newtown, connecticut, gabby giffords and her husband, mark kelly, came forward to announce they are ready to take action, saying, in two years, quote, congress has done something quite extraordinary, namely, nothing at all. Tonight, the two of them speak out. An exclusive interview with abc. Saying, if not now, when? It was two years ago that a vibrant, passionate congresswoman melt her constituents in a grocery store parking lot. In just 45 seconds, a young man with a semiautomatic shot 19 people, six dead. Including a 9-year-old little girl. In the two years since, it's estimated more than 57,000 adults and 5,000 children have died from a gun in the united states. Including the 20 children in n newtown, connecticut, killed by a weapon that fired six bull lets a second. Last week, giffords and kelly went to try to console the families. The first couple that we speak to, dad took out his cell phone and showed us a picture of his daughter and I just about lost it. You know, how do we get to the point where 85% of the children in the world that are killed with guns are killed in the united states? That is a sobering statiststatistic. 85%. So, that's what changed for you. Yes. You told me before, when i said, are you angry? You said no. It's life. Do you still feel that way? No. Do you get angry sometimes? Yes, yes. Complicated. They say it is now time for action, common sense change, led by gun owners, too. You have a gun. You still have a glock. Yes. Gabby and I have gun owners. We are strong supporters of the second amendment. So, it is the common sense consensus you are going for? We are. And I think most gun owners are in the same camp with us. So, their group is called americans for responsible solutions, and it will become a political action committee to spur congress on questions of mental health, high capacity gun magazines and background checks on purchases of guns. I bought a gun at walmart recently and I went through a background check. Why can't we just make it more difficult for criminals and the mentally ill to make guns? The nra will say, they can get them illegally. I don't agree with that. The gun lobby opposes a gun purchaser being checked against a terrorist watch list. Doesn't that seem like a common sense thing to do? But they made these arguments, the only thing that stopped the bad guy is a good guy with a gun. If there had been somebody with a gun there in that parking lot with jared loughner -- there was. There was somebody with a gun. Other than jared loughner. He says there was a man nearby who had a gun in his pocket. But almost accidentally shot the hero. Nearly shot the man who took down jared loughner, by a good guy with a gun. And two years after jared loughner opened fire, it is still a kind of miracle that congresswoman giffords survived. A bullet had torn a tunnel through her brain. Yeah, that's it. That's a thumb. We saw her incredible spirit, her indestrektable will and the recovery, moving so fast, doctors were amazed at the pace. Today, she says she is still making gains, but every one is hard-fought. It's been a long two years? Oh -- so slowly. So slowly. Tell me the happiest part of your lives these days. Family. And the hardest part? Every day, I don't like it at all. I don't like it all. I'm sad. Light, awful. She is trying to say because of her injury, she has trouble seeing on the right side. She only has peripheral vision on her left. But in the room with her, there is no doubt she understands quickly. But she says it makes it more frustrating when she doesn't have the words to answer. What's the next mountain you want to climb? It's the very quick back and forth that -- that's a struggle, right? Yes, struggle. Because it's still, you think it, you can't say it. I can't. But if anyone can will herself up a mountain, it's gabby giffords. Today, she has a service dog named nelson to retrieve things, steady her. But she will not give up trying. Goes to therapy every day. Physical therapy, yoga, um -- speech therapy. Your right toe started moving a little bit recently. Yes, toe. That's been positive. You're walking faster. And if I tug you along, you can go even faster. But even if it's hard for her to walk. Okay. Let's go. They say she will be walking the halls, taking her case to the capitol, so, if any members of congress decide to do nothing, they have to say it to her. When it can happen to children in a classroom, it's time to say -- enough. Former congresswoman gab giffords and mark kelly. I want to bring in abc's chief whose correspondent jon karl. Reporter: The white house welcomes what gabby giffords are doing here. The vice president is launching this effort to bring together a program on gun violence and I am told now that the national rifle association will be part of the meetings held this week at the white house with vice president biden. That's a big deal, diane. We have never seen the nra at the white house, the obama white house. And how soon could we see something actually take place? Reporter: Well, they are saying they will have recommendations from the vice president within three or four weeks, maybe even earlier. And, diane, they may act, well before congress gets around. The president can act by executive order on some things, including what you heard mark kelly talking about, the issue of background checks and streamlining those background checks. Not going as far as he wants to go, but improving the process. All right, jon karl in new york, and thank you so much for bringing us up to date.

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